Hard Times

Thanksgiving is a time to remember what we are thankful for. Every year my family takes turns on Thanksgiving Day to tell what we are thankful for. Well this year I’m thankful for the hard times because the hard times make the good times so much better. Some of my fondest memories as a child were the ones when my parents were probably struggling financially. It didn’t matter how much stuff we had, as long as we were together. One year my parents, my uncle, my uncle’s wife, and I piled into an old 1960’s Chevy pickup truck and drove an hour and half to my Grandparent’s house. It started snowing heavily on the trip there, and for some reason my Dad pulled the truck over on the side of the interstate, and we all had a big snow ball fight. That memory has lasted far longer than any present that I got that year for Christmas.

Even as an adult some of my fondest memories are the ones that have been free. Some of the happiest times in my marriage have been the times that my husband and I have been struggling financially. I believe there are many reasons that those times seem to be the best. I think that when you are struggling you appreciate the little things so much more, you are connected more with your family members, and you are more creative for your entertainment.

I think that if we stop to think about the positive outcomes of the current recession it would be that it served to teach us something. I think that it is so easy to become a slave to our possessions. I believe that we have lived in a society that for so long has wanted to keep up with the Joneses. Well now the Joneses are broke too! It is time to find different role models, and get back to simpler times. It is time to ask ourselves what we really value. I can tell you from my own experience that I would rather my Dad have worked less hours and spent more time with me than to have nice new toys and clothes. We work so hard to provide for our children, to give them the newest stuff, to make sure they have every advantage, but if we fail to really be present in their lives then we have done them a far greater injustice. We can be in the same room with our children and yet still not be present with them, and children know the difference.

So this year, I’m thankful for the times of struggle because they have served to teach me some very valuable lessons. I’m thankful for my car that does not run very well because at least I have a car, I’m thankful for my husband who is messy because I have a wonderful man who loves me, I’m thankful that my kids drive me crazy sometimes because it means that I have kids, I’m thankful for waking up early because it means that I have a reason to get out of bed, I’m thankful for getting stuck in traffic because it may have saved my life, I’m thankful for hateful people because at least I don’t have to be that way, I’m thankful for my aches and pains because it means I’m alive, and I’m even thankful that I’m an over worked and under paid; cook, maid, referee, and chauffer because it means that I’m a Mom and a wife. It means that my paychecks come in the form of hugs and kisses from my kids, and being proud of my kid’s successes because I helped them to become successful. My reward is knowing that I’m helping to shape and mold these beautiful gifts from God.

Ruby Red Slippers

My daughter "Ashlynn Kennedy" in her ruby red slippers




Sometimes it’s easy to think that we will be happy when _____ happens, or that we will do something extraordinary with our lives when______. If we just had a Jeannie with three wishes, a magic wand, a fairy God mother, or some ruby red slippers. Usually we have the power within us to make our dreams come true, but often we fail to realize it. Just like the scene in the Wizard of Oz when the good witch tells Dorothy that she had the power all along to get back to Kansas, but she just would not have believed it until she learned it for herself. You see, we all have ruby red slippers, we just don’t all realize it.
Just like Dorothy we don’t realize that our heart’s desire sometimes is in our own backyards. I don’t know about you but there’s not a lot in my backyard, but it’s a great metaphor for the fact that we already possess everything we need in order to be happy and content.
Don’t keep waiting for tomorrow because tomorrow may never come. We only really have this moment. The yellow brick road is in front of you and you are already wearing your ruby red slippers.
My children are supposed to learn from me but I believe they have taught me more than I have taught them. They have taught me to; be more child like, to wish upon stars, to walk barefoot, to believe in magic, to slow down. Simply they have taught me to just be. Just be in the moment. They have taught me to dream bigger and be more than I was yesterday. They have taught me that I have always had the power of the ruby red slippers.
“Most limitations are only limitations of the mind.” If you think you can, then you can. If you think you can’t, then you can’t. You limit yourself because you have limited thinking. If you want big then you have to think big. So put on your ruby red slippers and know that you have always had the power….

My New Blog

Ella Reagan - Age 1Jackson Cooper - Age 3
Ashlynn Kennedy - Age 5
John Carter - Age 8
My Four Blue-Eyed Kids
Our Summer Picnic

I am so excited to begin my new blog. I have so many things I would like to share with other moms and I would love to hear back from you. Please let me know topics you would like to hear about. Although I am a busy mom of four active kids and our life is very hectic at times, somehow I always manage to include small tidbits of beauty, fashion and humor in our lives. Sometimes it is making sure that my girls have the properly matched accessories for their outfits and sometimes it is the love-notes that I include in their lunchboxes. I am always open to controversial topics such as children's vaccines, nutrition, discipline, etc. You can expect to read about all the latest hot topics concerning our children's lives and sometimes you can expect to just be entertained. I promise you will never be bored!
Toni